Russian troops capture Sudzha in Kursk region – ISW

The Russian army has taken control of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region. Combat operations against Ukrainian forces are ongoing in the border villages of the Sumy region. Russian troops may attempt to establish a buffer zone near the border. Additionally, it was noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region on March 12.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports this.

Geolocation footage released on March 12 indicates that the Russian army recently captured Sudzha and advanced to the southern area of ​​the village of Zaoleshenska (northwest of Sudzha). A source connected to Ukraine's intelligence reported that Ukrainian troops have begun withdrawing from Sudzha.

Russian military bloggers attribute the city's capture to units of the 11th Airborne Brigade, the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (72nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 44th Army Corps of the Leningrad Military District), and the 2nd Special Forces Brigade (Main Directorate of Military Intelligence of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces). According to the bloggers, Russian troops are conducting "mopping-up" operations in the settlement.

Geolocation footage released on March 11 shows that the Russian army has recently advanced west of the village of Basovka (west of Sudzha across the international border in Sumy region).

Bloggers claim that Russian troops have advanced:

• near Sverdlikovo (northwest of Sudzha), 
• west of Kazachya Loknya (north of Sudzha), 
• within Zaoleshenka, 
• within southeastern Goncharovka (just west of Sudzha), 
• west of Kurilovka, 
• north of Guyevo (both south of Sudzha), 
• and southwest of Zhuravka (west of Sudzha in the Sumy region) 
• and west Oleksandriia (south of Sudzha in the Sumy region).

Russian military bloggers claimed that fighting continued near Zaoleshenka, Goncharovka, and Guyevo and just across the international border in Sumy region near Zhuravka, Novenke, and Basivka (all west of Sudzha). 

One Russian blogger called for the creation of a buffer zone, probably in the Sumy region, after Russian troops push Ukraine's armed forces out of the Kursk region.

Russian bloggers on March 12 reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had launched HIMARS rocket attacks on Russian troops in the Kursk region. ISW cannot verify this information.

Russian dictator visits Kursk region

ISW also recalled that on March 12, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin visited a Russian military command post in the Kursk region for the first time since Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region in August 2024 — demonstrating Putin's desire to use Russia's seizure of Sudzha to project military success and strength against the backdrop of the US-Ukrainian temporary ceasefire proposal.

During the visit, Putin acknowledged that Russian troops had not yet wholly driven Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region, and said they must seize the entire Kursk region "as soon as possible."

"This visit demonstrates Putin's desire to use Russia's seizure of Sudzha to project military success and strength against the backdrop of the US-Ukrainian temporary ceasefire proposal," the report said.

ISW drew attention to a peculiar fact – during the visit to the headquarters, Putin was dressed in a military uniform, while during his visits to the front in April 2023, he wore a suit. According to analysts, the Russian president is likely trying to position himself as an interested military leader and include himself among the Russian military-political leaders responsible for the recent advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.

"Putin is also likely attempting to portray himself as a strong and effective military commander ahead of US-Russian meetings, including a meeting with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff on March 13 during which the delegations will likely discuss the US-Ukrainian temporary ceasefire proposal," the ISW report says.

For reference:

In early August 2024, Ukraine's armed forces crossed the state border in the Sumy region and began to take control of settlements in the border area of the ​​Kursk region.

The objective of the operation was to weaken the Russian army's combat capabilities and force the enemy to redirect resources from units conducting offensive operations in the Donetsk region and in the border areas of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions to the defense of its own territories.

Over the past 7 months, the Russians have gradually squeezed Ukrainian forces out of settlements. In early March, fighting in the region escalated significantly. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces announced a significant advance of the Russians in the Kursk region.

Earlier, the Russian Telegram channel Mash reported that Russian troops were trying to take control of the so-called lifeline—the only asphalt road between the Ukrainian Yunakivka and the Russian Sudzha—to complicate the supply and logistics of Ukraine's armed forces.

According to Oleksandr Syrsky, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, active fighting continues in the Kursk region, particularly in the suburbs of Sudzha and in the areas around it. The defense forces will maintain defenses in the Kursk region "as long as it is expedient and necessary."